Valentine Nemesis
by LaraSGCLena
Summary: X-Files Crossover! General Hammond “loans” his best, Sam and Jack, to A.D. Skinner. As they served together in the war to help Mulder and Scully on an eerie case involving an old-wives-tale called; Valentine Nemesis.


TITLE: Valentine Nemesis

AUTHOR: Lara _SGC aka Lara

E-MAIL: Lara_

STATUS: Complete

CATEGORY: Romance, bit of adventure, crossover with the X-Files

SPOILERS: Several small ones but nothing after Stargate's Sixth season and nothing after The X-Files' Sixth Season so keep in mind that it's set in those seasons.

SEASON/SEQUEL: Takes place somewhere at the end of season 6 for both series

RATING: PG-13

CONTENT WARNINGS: Some swearing, nothing we don't use in our daily life.

PAIRING: Sam/Jack and Mulder/Scully

SUMMARY: General Hammond "loans" his best, Sam and Jack, to A.D. Skinner. As they served together in the war to help Mulder and Scully on an eerie case involving an old-wives-tale named; Valentine Nemesis.

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp, Double Secret Productions and Showtime. I created this story for my pleasure and for the pleasure of others.

DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and all it's characters belong to 21st Century Fox, 10-13 Productions and Chris Carter. I created this story for my pleasure and for the pleasure of others.

Don't own the song featured in this story, it belongs to HIM and the title of this wonderful song is; Join Me In Death. Don't use it to make profit, just promoting it.

AUTHORS NOTES: Huge brownie points for Lucie just for being there for me. Have to thank the makers of Resident Evil which brought me to this idea. After I finished playing the first Resident Evil, I went to sleep and woke up with many ideas and so this is the story.

* * *

~ Part 1 ~

Assistant Director Walter Skinner turned over the news page of his newspaper and started to read the headlines. He sighed as to all the misery he saw in the numerous pages and somehow he felt guilty. He knew he worked for the FBI; a law enforcement to help and protect the US citizen.

He folded the paper back up and placed it on the bench beside him, breathing in what was the warm air of Washington DC. His eyes searching, noting the green trees, a well budgeted large fountain and two strangers walking up to him.

Military. Just by the way they walked. The picture he held on his lap, confirmed his thoughts. It showed two Air Force officers; a Colonel and a Major and by the looks of it those ranks were almost nearing him. One man, one woman.

"Walter Skinner?"

The question put a smile on his face and it fooled him because he didn't know why. He smiled at the woman whom asked the question and was patiently waiting for an answer while the man standing beside her looked around giving Skinner the impression he wasn't in the least interested in him.

"Yes. You must be Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill. Nice to meet you."

The blond woman smiled and shook his outstretched hand. He was surprised by the pressure the woman gave and it reminded him of a firm male-shake.

"Nice to meet you too, Sir."

He nodded and noticed her broad smile, making her white teeth visible but he did note the tiredness in her blue eyes.

"So, what's this all about?" The Colonel had finally turned his attention to the duo next to him and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll get straight to the case, Colonel. We've got a very strange case on our hands and due to the lack of available qualifying, and err willing, agents at this time, I had no choice but to contact my friend and your CO; George Hammond. He told me you were his best officers. I asked him if he could miss you two to join me and my agents on our search for a solution on this case."

"Okay, what do we have to do?"

Skinner couldn't help but notice the arrogance he once saw in Agent Mulder and mentally shook his head at the way the man clasped his hands.

"You can start by going to that coffee shop over there. There, you'll find agents Mulder and Scully, who'll give you the information you need. Keep in mind that those are my best agents and most trustable you'll find in the FBI. I expect from you to trust them and to help them as much as you can. They in return will give their trust and knowledge."

"Mulder and Scully? Are they working on the X-Files?" The Major asked with a glint of a smile in her eyes.

"Yes. May I know why you are asking?"

"Let's just say when I was at the Penthagon, I heard that they were quite a couple."

"They are, Major Carter. They are."

~ Part 2 ~

"My name is Fox Mulder. I'm a agent for the FBI, a tool for the law…occasionally a tool of justice."

Samantha Carter frowned at the handsome man seated in the chair opposite of her. When she wanted to see Jack's reaction she saw how he had a small grin on his face. At least this was a good start.

"Don't mind him. He's just a little cranky, because I don't believe him." The young woman smiled and rolled her eyes but the adoration towards her partner didn't go unnoticed by Sam.

She thought Dana Scully was a beautiful woman and it surprised her that such a fragile person would join the FBI. Although strangers probably thought the same thing about Jack O'Neill being in the Air Force.

"I'll remember it." Mulder grumbled.

Jack O'Neill grinned. He liked this guy. He was being melancholy at the moment, but the younger man reminded him of his younger self. He thought he had to be Carter's age.

"Oh, my name is Dana Scully. The partner of Mister Crank pot over there."

Somehow Sam felt that she wasn't his partner alone. She could feel so much tension in the air and there was something about these two. Maybe it was the way they looked at each other. Maybe it was the way they sat next to each other? She mentally kicked herself for letting her thoughts stray. She was actually on duty right now.

"I heard that Scully. And you'll believe it when you see it for yourself."

"Mulder…the Valentine Nemesis is just an old wives-tale."

Jack smiled, finding the conversation in front of him quite interesting. Always being the one to listen to oldwives tales, he wanted to hear it. "What is this Valentine…thing?" He asked while taking a seat next to Mulder.

"I'll tell you. I'm glad that at least somebody's interested in my opinions!"

Sam was finding the two FBI agents really amusing. This investigation was going to be quite interesting. As she waited for Fox to answer Jack's question, she too took her seat next to Scully. Not being surprised at her Colonel's interest in old wives tales, she leaned on the table and stretched her legs.

"It's just that they look-"

"Right?"

"No, fairy-tale-ish."

"Scully, how many times have I been wrong with those tales?"

"Alright, alright…I'll be over there."

"All right, G-woman."

Jack nodded his head as acknowledging of Scully's apologetic smile as she excused herself from the table and went over to the ladies room.

"Don't mind her she's kind of skeptical…sometimes…okay well most of the time but my stories are never complete without her skeptic rambling."

Jack couldn't help but have the urge to roll his eyes at the man's behavior. It was clearly that he loved Scully and that was a subject that Jack was interested in.

He knew a few things about the FBI regulations and he also knew that any romantic relationship between two partners of the FBI was not allowed. He found himself intrigued by this man who was in the same situation as he found himself in with Carter…did he just think that? Oh, for crying out loud, focuse!

"Mulder, the Valentine Nemesis? You know I'd really like to know more about your personal relationship with Scully but I'm not in soap mood right now."

Jack saw how uncomfortable he had made the younger man by his question. He wasn't surprised to feel Sam's foot kick his swiftly. By doing this she was telling him that he was getting out of line. Although he was superior to her, he didn't mind. She had saved him from a lot of humiliating times in the briefing room by simply kicking his foot.

Mulder regained his composure and a smile crept up his handsome face.

"Me neither unless you're dating an alien."

Sam snickered and bit her lip, looking at her Colonel in the corner of her eyes. He just had a mock expression on his face and slowly raised an eyebrow. Somehow she knew that Jack was thinking about a certain grey alien.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud. Tell your damn story."

Jack leaned against the back of his chair and studied Mulder as he opened his mouth.

"Fine. The story is about a monster called 'Valentine Nemesis'. That monster would attack all couples who would dare to enter the forest of Oliviera Town. He would take the men's 'Valentine'; his girl. He would take that girl to an old clock tower, where he lives, and wait for the girl's lover to arrive and fight him. The story goes that no man has won from him."

"What about the girls?" Sam asked afraid to where this story was heading.

"They would be injected with some kind of poison, that would kill them, very slowly and very painfully. So, that's about it."

Mulder leaned back, waiting for their responses.

"Obviously, a very old tale. What would happen if the monster saw a 'gay'-couple?"

Mulder gave Jack a look that told him that he had annoyed the man while Sam laughed at his joke. No matter how stupid the joke was, Sam always laughed. He raised his eyebrows at Mulder who was looking at Sam, probably thinking she was nuts.

Jack shrugged. "What? Keeps you wondering."

Scully had emerged from the ladies room and had joined them at the table again. She frowned at Sam who had a silly smile on her face and then at Mulder and Jack. She shook her head, her reason behind it was unclear for Jack but it seemed that she had seen these reactions before.

"All stories have some truth where they rely on or come from. Why would they come up with such a story?"

Jack turned his head to look at his Major. She was right. That's why he loved old wives tales so much. No matter how crappy they were…they always held some truth.

Scully sighed and gave Sam some papers.

"Nine couples have entered the forest and never returned over the last two years. At least one witness claims to have seen something like Mulder's story happen."

Jack followed Sam's actions as she read the reports and he could see some profiles and pictures of old men and women. The last picture was a landscape. A wooded forest with a small forest path going through. He looked over to Mulder and Scully.

Sam did the same and pointed and raised the picture. "I'll bet that's where we'll be going next."

Jack stood up, feeling the need to get some fresh air and stepped away from the table.

"Yeah sure ya betcha, Snookums."

With that Jack walked over to the door, waiting for the others to follow him.

He wanted and needed action.

Mulder frowned at Scully and she looked at Sam, who only shook her shoulders and grinned, getting away from the table and walking over to Jack.

Slowly raising himself, Mulder walked over to the military duo, gazing at Scully as she neared them. Opening the door when Scully passed him, ignoring the duo, he followed laying a hand on the small of her back.

Sam could see that those two were sharing more than a platonic relationship.

She laughed when Jack went through the door after Mulder, not letting her pass like a gentleman would. She saw him turn to her when she stifled a laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, now go."

Jack shook his head and walked over to Mulder. "Do you understand Scully?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because, she-," Jack said while pointed at Sam, "-I just don't get."

"In time you will."

Jack frowned at Mulder's counseling skills and watched as the F.B.I. agent and Scully went off to the direction of their cars.

~Part 3~

The forest doomed up before them, eerie and ominous.

Mulder pushed the yellow and black FBI straps up so Scully could crouch underneath it, leading her to the deep forest. Jack wondered what they were going to find in the abandoned wooded forest.

Not wanting to think about it too much, Jack carried on after Sam and followed the two agents to the entrance of the forest. The path leading in the deep wooded forest was just made of stamped mud.

Mulder and Scully went over to the left side of the path and started discussing something Jack couldn't hear. He on the other hand walked a few meters on the path and looked up at the sky. Not that he could see much, given that the thick trees were blocking his view. He could hear Carter walking around behind him and he sighed; taking the fresh air in his lunges.

"Colonel, over here."

Jack quickly turned around and walked over to an alarming Carter. He could see she was staring at something and he bowed to look where she was looking so horrified at.

"Sweet."

Before them a young man lay in the mud.

Carter's expression was one of disgust. Jack saw her swallow hard as she tore her gaze away to look up at him. "His expression shows insane agony and pain. It's almost like he's been eaten from the inside out."

Swallowing he looked from Carter to the dead body. "Ya think?"

"And by the looks of it I would say; that he was eaten alive."

That was just a statement Jack didn't want to hear. The hunger he had started to feel passed. "Geez, the only insects I know off to do that are scarabs."

Sam looked at Jack in owe. Did he just say what she thought he said? Although it didn't fit at all in what they saw here, it would take a real scientist to say something like that. "With all due respect, Sir. I don't think it were scarabs. They don't live here and even if somehow they would've gotten here, it would take days even weeks for them to eat this man. So…."

Sam let her words trail along as she gestured with her hand in the air indicating that she was lost for words.

"No scarabs?"

"No, Sir."

"Ah, well. Lets go over to Mulder and Scully. My guess is that they've already seen this."

When Jack reached a discussing Mulder and Scully, he sighed and rolled his eyes. How can those two work with each other if they keep fighting? But somehow it reminded him of the small discussions he had with his friend Daniel.

"We found a body over there." He indicated, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to where they had encountered the body.

Scully was the first one to turn around and look at Jack. She seemed upset about something but Jack knew it wasn't his business. He reminded himself to ask Carter about all this later.

"I know. We found that one earlier, before we met. I wanted you two to make your own vision on it before we made one for you."

Carter now joined the group and brushed her hand over her forehead. Something she didn't do often, Jack noted. Probably nerves. He was getting shivers about that body too. He had seen a lot of tortured bodies, some worse than this one but somehow this felt more personal. Perhaps, Carter felt the same way.

Mulder patted his finger on Scully's arm to get her attention. "What about you give in and we all go check the witness?"

Sam saw Scully sigh. Earlier she had witnessed a discussion between the two of them. It had something to do with trusting someone. How those words would fit in with any of the two of them was a complete mystery to her but she made a mental note to ask Jack about it later on.

"Oich."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Scully's reaction on Mulder's normal proposition. "What?"

Scully placed her hands behind her back and turned to Jack on her heels, bowing a little. "Let's just say his bottle of whiskey is his best friend."

"Ah."

~ Part 4 ~

They had been walking for half an hour trough the heavy wooded forest. Sam was surprised that they hadn't encountered any animals. Though she could hear some brisling at times, she felt strange hearing no birds or other animals.

Along the trip, she and Scully had been walking ahead of the two men and they had been answering each other's questions. She liked Dana. It was either the scientist in her or the relationship she had with Fox, but both of these intrigued her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see what Jack was doing. He was chatting and nodding to Mulder, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head at the younger man. She noticed the distance between them, maybe rivalry, maybe it was Jack's military attitude that created the gap between the two handsome men. She shook her head, knowing she was wondering too much again and picked up her conversation with Dana.

"Ah, I take it we found it."

Hearing Jack's comment, she looked up. She noticed a big wooden shed. Simple, no decorations, no name, no mailbox. Nothing. It looked like somebody had just dropped it there in the middle of nowhere. A puny old man stood in the doorway, grinning at them as if he had been waiting.

After Mulder and Scully had introduced themselves, Jack and Sam had entered the house feeling just slightly uncomfortable.

Mulder had asked the old man some questions but he seemed to ignore his questions or was too drunk to answer them. Sam stretched her back and leaned against the soft back of the couch she was sitting on. Jack was standing behind her.

She hated that. That way she couldn't see his face that always warned her of something, that told her something. His features were an open book to her, a book she loved to read. If only she could dust it off with her touch….

The puny man took another swag of is whiskey bottle and smiled. "Make people wait for what they want, and you have power over them. This is as true for merchants and militia as it is for cooks and couples."

Sam was shaken out of her thoughts by Scully sitting down next to her. The young woman was looking worriedly at Mulder standing next to the old man. A creepy but smart old man, she had to add. He didn't answer any question but he seemed to have a deep kind of knowledge.

A dark knowledge.

"Why are you telling me this?" Mulder frowned and looked over at Scully and Carter. He ignored Jack's gaze. Although he liked the man, he was too military and if there was one thing that Mulder had learned was not to trust anyone in the military. Let alone someone who seemed to be that important for the government.

A government that had betrayed him many times.

"Well, you can learn from it or not…it's all up to you."

The old man stared at Mulder for a few moments and then turned to look at the women sitting on the couch, shifting his gaze at Sam. "Can I get you something? Tea, coffee…water?"

Jack looked down at Carter. He could see how she tilted her head to look at the creepy old man. He was surprised she answered his question.

"Water's just fine, thank you."

Nodding and totally ignoring the others, Jack noted, he walked over to what seemed to be a heavy wooded door. Maybe the entrance to the kitchen or a basement. If these kind of things have a basement that is. At the last moment, the old man turned around.

"You know…water is life."

Sam's face was blanc. Or that was what she wanted it to be. It was clear to her that he was testing her at some point. Why? She honestly couldn't say but she didn't want to jeopardize the investigation by being rude. "True."

"But perhaps it is just something to wash it down with."

Not knowing how else to react she just smiled, letting him know his tricks weren't working on her. When he disappeared through the door, she turned and risked a glance at Jack.

"Loco." He whispered to her while indicating with his index finger against the sides of his head but placed them neatly beside his body again when the puny old man returned with a bottle of water.

"You like children, Mister O'Neill?"

Sam knew that she had passed the test, he was going to check Jack now. She didn't know how he did it but it was kind of strange he seemed to know exactly how to test Jack. Of all the things he could ask….

"Yeah, very much."

Sam noticed how Scully was looking over at Mulder. She was going bananas of their attitude towards each other. If she wouldn't know better she'd say that those two lost a child together.

"Do you have of your own?" The man asked while handing the bottle to Sam, swiftly touching her hand making her shiver.

"No...I had a son."

"What happened?"

Scully couldn't help but wait at Jack's answer. The moment he said 'had' her heart had sunk. She'd lost her little girl too. How military Jack seemed to be and how much Mulder had warned her not to trust him, she couldn't help but feel pitty for the military man.

"That doesn't matter. It's done."

In the corner of her eyes she could see pain on Samantha's face. She obviously knew more about it. At any time she would have found this normal but she understood that those two were military meaning that they wouldn't have lots of personal contact let alone know such personal things of the other or better yet respond to it in that way.

Mulder swallowed when looking over at Scully. He knew of whom she was thinking of. He had lost her too but when he saw to what Scully was looking at, he felt guilt.

Jack O'Neill's hands were shaking.

Mulder looked at the Colonel in a whole other perspective. He had no idea how it is to lose a child but he as Hell knew how it was to lose a relative whom you loved.

"Yes. It is terrible that one little mistake can live forever in memory."

Silence.

Sam sneaked a glance around the room. The old man had fixed his gaze on Jack and had a little grin on his face. He had obviously liked what Jack had said. Mulder on the other hand was looking at the ground. It seemed that he was thinking or wondering about something.

When she looked next to her at Scully, she noticed that the woman was looking at her. Their gazes fixed and a moment of understanding passed between them.

"Tell me red-haired lady. Do you fight?"

Scully broke the gaze as she looked up to the man. Her face was showing no emotion. Clearly she had come to the same conclusion as Sam. "Yeah."

"Even in the past?"

At this Scully frowned and her eyes narrowed. "Err…yeah."

"Do you know what the past is?"

"No, but I'm sure that you'll tell me anyway."

Jack noted the anger in Scully's voice. He definitely wasn't the only one who was getting sick of this man. He didn't understand why Mulder was still coping with this shit. Obviously the man wouldn't want to help them let alone be of any use and he didn't have to look down at his second in command to know that she was going nuts about this too.

"Well, the past is a ghost that haunts you from the moment you exist until the moment you don't."

Jack groaned and smacked his hand on the head of the couch. He immediately regretted it as Sam almost jumped up from the couch. "That's it. Come on, Carter."

He strode out of the house, leaving Mulder and Scully with the old man. Carter of course had followed his order although he wasn't her commanding officer at the moment.

Sam sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That man was giving me the creeps. Glad to be out of there."

Jack just looked at Carter. It had occurred to him that this was the first time since they had arrived, that she had expressed her feelings. Any feeling.

He knew that she had these walls build around her, the same walls that had come up after he had admitted he had felt something more than just friendship for her. Neither had talked about it since then which didn't seem right to him. It wasn't.

"I don't care, Scully!"

Jack turned and rolled his eyes when Mulder came striding to him, passing Carter, anger written all over his face.

Sam noticed how Jack didn't step back. He just stood there, solid as a rock with a mock expression.

"Listen. I don't care how high you are in the military. Or how important you are but down here you're following my orders? Understood?"

Scully stepped forward and placed a hand on Mulder's arm. "Mulder. Don't. They're just here to help us."

Sam noticed how Mulder seemed to calm down at Scully's words. His shoulders slumped and his arms hang lose next to his body.

"Jack, look it's just that-"

"You don't trust us."

That got Mulder's attention. His eyes were big but he recovered quickly.

"Look, Mulder. Either way we forget about this and move on. Or we separate our paths right here and you continue without us. I'm here because they asked me, not because I wanted to. I hope you keep that in mind."

Mulder stared at Jack. His face showed no expression. "Alright, I'll keep it in mind but then again do you trust us enough to move on as you say?"

Scully sighed audibly. Sometimes Mulder could irritate the hell out of her.

Jack heaved his head and stared right back at Mulder. Both men were almost standing nose to nose. "I only trust her." He said while slowly pointing at Sam. With that he turned on his heels and walked a few meters deeper in the forest.

Sam followed Jack with her eyes and then looked at the ground. She was taken aback by his statement. Of course she knew Jack trusted her, they fought together but maybe it was the way he said it.

Sighing loudly, she looked over at Scully and smiled apologetically before going over to where Jack was sitting on the ground.

Scratching his head, Mulder turned to look at Scully whom had already started walking after Sam. He gritted his teeth while looking over at Jack and Sam. It was then that he found out that he knew near to nothing about those two. The only thing he knew was that they were in the military, quite important and that Skinner had asked him to trust those two.

Mulder now regretted his outburst and slowly continued after Scully. 'I only trust her.' It was a simple statement to others but to him it meant more. It was something he would say about Scully, it was something personal. Something you said with underlying emotion maybe in a way letting the other one know how special they were.

And the more he worked with these two military officers, the more their relationship intrigued him.

"So, where to now?" Sam asked leaning against an old trunk, Jack was half sitting on, making her legs touch his upper body.

Scully sighed, stretched her arms above her head and turned her head to look at Mulder, waiting for his answer.

Mulder nodded at Jack. The real meaning, Sam probably missed but she thought it possible that Mulder just accepted Jack's way of forgetting the fight and to move on.

The handsome younger man placed himself on the grassy ground in front of Jack and looked up at Scully. "As I remember correctly from what the old man had told us…before he started babbling…that there should be an old mansion about two miles away from here. It could be nothing, but I believe it's worth a try. I mean, we could question the owners about the case and we can have lead from there on."

Sam felt a pressure in her left leg. Curious, she looked down and saw that it was Jack's head that was leaning against her leg. His eyes were closed and his fingers were twitching.

A smile played over her features, as she knew the signs. This was an annoyed Colonel ready for action but not getting any. It reminded her of a child not getting his long waited candy.

"-what about you, Sam?"

Her head snapped up just in time to see, Mulder and Scully looking meaningfully at her.

"Oh. Sounds good to me. It's better than just sitting here and doing nothing."

Mulder smiled and nodded. Scully in turn reached down and took Mulder's hand while pulling him up next to her. Both started walking without waiting for Jack to get up from the ground, discussing the old man they had encountered earlier.

Jack opened his eyes and tilted his head to look up at Carter. "Carter. Do you think I have potential to be a serial killer if I'm plotting one thousand ways of killing a certain FBI agent?"

Sam just smiled and bit her lip, taking Jack's waiting hand and like Scully, pulled Jack up. He immediately rethreaded his hand from hers but it didn't take away the tension that hang between them. It gave Jack goosebumps.

He saw that Sam didn't seem to notice. Not only the tension but also the last two years. The last two years he had spent trying to reach out to her. Inviting her to go fishing, touching her more, and trying to flirt with her. But she didn't seem to notice.

Now he knew why he envied Mulder. Yes, he was jealous.

~ Part 5 ~

The path they were walking on was wide enough for the four of them to walk next to each other. In that way they could say something and having all the others joining in the conversation.

"Jack, do you believe in aliens?" Mulder asked, narrowing his eyes to look at Jack.

"Err…no."

Sam bit her lip and tried to look casual. God, how could he keep such a straight face? An image of Thor crept in her mind. If they would only know.

For an hour now, they had spent talking to each other. Trying to find out more about the other they barely knew and probably barely trusted. It seemed that Mulder and Jack had more in common then they wanted to admit and Sam and Scully were born for each other.

Both kept rambling along about the latest scientific projects while Mulder and Jack had been talking about sports and how it was in the old days.

"Oh, we should watch out for grizzly bears out here." Mulder suddenly spoke up, catching up with the women.

Scully, who was walking between Sam and Mulder, looked behind them and sighed. "Okay."

"Why?" Sam asked thinking about small fuzzy bears too scared to attack people but it was Jack who answered her question.

"Ah, they'll catch you, knock ya down and eat ya." Frowning about his own answer, he looked over at Mulder.

"But than I could always run up a three." Mulder quipped back, checking out the nearest big tree.

Jack snorted. "In that case it would give ya a nice view before they knock the tree down and eat ya."

"Ah. I'll keep it in mind when I'm running for my life."

Scully chuckled at Mulder's statement and pored him gently in the ribs. "Great to know, you're going to leave me behind as their dinner, Mulder."

Sam saw Mulder fake a sudden shock as he grabbed his heart. "I'm hurt, Scully. You know I would never leave you behind. In any case I'll always find you back again. I seemed to have a knack for that."

Sam could see sadness over Scully's face. "Or a curse. A cold one that is."

Jack frowned and narrowed his eyes while checking on the two agents. "Care to share the story with the rest of the class?"

Mulder fixed his gaze on the ground before them. "Scully got kidnapped by people from the government. I went after her up to Antarctica. I needed to get her back. At some point I thought she was going to die but we escaped."

"Sounds familiar. It seems that you two are not that different from us than you or we think."

Mulder's head snapped up. "Sam, the government kidnapped you?"

"No-"

"Yes-"

Now it was Scully's turn to look confused from Sam to Jack.

Sam sighed and adverted her eyes from Jack, getting all kind of memories and feeling turning up.

"Yes. The same government you hate so much kidnapped Carter once. I did the same thing as you, Mulder. I kept looking until I found her. I couldn't give up. I was scared to find her badly beaten, or worse…."

His voice trailed off, he couldn't go further knowing he was exposing himself more then he wanted.

Sam looked away from the group walking next to her, hearing the soft words of Jack. Tears sprung to her eyes. She had no idea Jack thought that way about it. There was so much pain in his voice, the same pain she heard whenever he was talking about Charlie.

She blinked her eyes to clear the tears as she swallowed hard at the feelings that were surfacing and enveloping her heart. 'Oh, Jack. When are we going to be free for our feelings?', she painfully thought as she felt Scully's hand squeeze her arm.

"We're not that much different, I see. Let's drop this subject; we'll talk about this some other time. What I want to know is what you do in real life? I mean after the military." Mulder asked trying to clear the tension that had formed in the air around them.

Scully smiled, silently thanking her lover. She removed her hand from Sam. She could see that she was confused about what Jack had said earlier. It was clear to her now that these two didn't have a lover's relationship. Their friendship was very deep, very loyal yet so distant. There was more going on between them, she just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"So, Sam. Something totally different. Glad to have another scientist walking next to me. What do you think ate through that man's body that we found at the beginning of the forest? All we know is that it was eaten by one creature. The teeth didn't match with any mammal or insect known to us. We're stuck. What's your intake?"

Now both Mulder and Jack had ended their conversation to listen to the women, who were actually doing what they should do. Investigate and trying to solve this case.

Scully waved her hands in the air, getting excited. "My closest guess and all I can come up with is Black Rain."

"Black Rain? Agent Scully are you sure?" Sam said, understanding what the other woman said.

"Well not one hundred percent, but it's the only thing that comes to mind."

Sam furiously nodded in agreement. "Well, for starters Black Rain always has to do with cold fusion."

"What if cold fusion is part of the creature that ate through this man?"

Someone coughed. "Excuse me? Scully is that you?" Mulder surprisingly said, bending his head to look more closely to his partner.

"Just a silly theory from a tired mind." Scully smiled back up at him.

Sam stopped and turned towards the group, looking at Jack. "No, it makes perfect sense. Have you seen pictures of animals in the cold war? Horrible mutations. What if somehow a particular animal got infected with radioactivity, cold fusion…. " Her eyes seeking Scully's.

Scully nodded and particularly jumped at Sam's enthusiasm. She and Sam both stopped to stand in front of each other, rambling a theory together.

"Yes, it does make sense. Cold fusion makes even normal people go totally wacko. Black rain has strong traces of tritium and helium."

"And if you combine tritium with deuterium you get a fusion reaction and if the creature was too close that could explain the rest." Sam said waving her arms.

The two men, who had also stopped walking, just stared at their women ramble along.

Sam turned to Jack and Mulder who had HUGE question marks on their faces as to speak.

"Tritium is used to make watch faces, glow in the dark. That in combination with deuterium, or heavy water, could cause a fusion reaction and a lot of radioactivity would come free. So, that could be an explanation for that thing that has been eating that poor man."

"Thanks for the explanation, Captain Carter." Mulder kindly said while eyeing Scully in a heard-that-look.

"I'm used to do so," Sam said in return, looking up at Jack, "not that I mind. " She quickly added when she saw Jack raise his eyebrows but he smiled.

"Good, now another question; how did these elements wind up in the atmosphere and why?"

"Or who did that?," Sam asked.

"Ah!…I know you two think this is all fascinating but wouldn't the real question be as to where that creature is at the moment?" Jack threw in and he was right.

They had no idea as to where that creature was, or who made it or if it was an accident or not.

Mulder pulled off his tie and put it in his pocket as he looked up in the air, a sudden breeze of wind passed him. "I don't know about you guys, but I think there's a sudden storm coming."

Sam looked up in the sky and saw that the clouds had turned darker than before. Strange she hadn't noticed this earlier but then again she was too wrapped up looking at the ground all the time.

Scully started walking again. "Seems like it. We can always take shelter in that old mansion."

They continued walking as they did before until the path made a sudden turn into a dark forest. They couldn't see anything through the thick green bushes and trees but Mulder suddenly yelled that he could see the top of a roof. Happy that it DID exist they now pushed against the wind, trying to get further.

The wind hallowed through the trees. Leaves swirled up and down.

Jack in-haled sharply. The wind was telling him something. He could feel it. It was his gut instinct telling him that something was going to happen. Something terribly wrong.

The wind was catching up and he found himself pinned to the ground. He couldn't walk; the wind was pushing him back. The leaves swirled around his tense body.

The wind was howling so loud that he didn't even hear the others yell his name.

Jack blinked as Sam reached out to him, cried out to him.

"Sir!"

He could feel her hand squeezing his arm while her other hand rested on his chest, pushing him slightly.

"Sir, are you okay?"

Jack shook his head and focused his gaze on Sam. He then nodded. "I—I don't know what happened." He had to scream to get above the howling of the wind.

Sam's body was pressed against Jack's of the harsh wind.

Mulder came to stand before them. "Either way, we should be moving on, the storm's catching up. Maybe they'll let us stay at the mansion. Come on!" He yelled. Narrowing his eyes against the force of the wind.

Mulder grabbed Scully and continued when he saw that both Jack and Sam were following.

Sam didn't leave Jack's side. Something was wrong with him. Although she had no idea she didn't wanted to risk anything so she hooked her arm in his and softly nudged his ribs.

"Don't look at me like that, Carter. I'm fine."

She sighed and looked at the ground, hurt by his sudden outburst.

"Sorry. I'm just spooked."

Sam looked up at him. It wasn't for Jack to apologize like that so easily but then again, there were more things Jack did the last few weeks that he had never done before. It just kept her wondering.

~*~

The old mansion was huge to say the least. It seemed like a small castle. Only one heavy wooden door and lots of small windows, which held a soft yellow light behind them.

Scully stopped in front of the door while Mulder was blown against her. Not pressing himself away he knocked on the door hard. At his second try Jack and Sam were blown against the door making such a noise someone should've heard that inside the mansion.

"Nothing. Now what?" Jack yelled over the howling wind, bracing himself.

Sam hopefully looked up at the windows and tried to see if someone was watching them while she ducked her head against Jack's chest like Scully was doing with Mulder. She was thankful for Jack standing in front of her, shielding her away from the cold icy wind.

Scully placed a hand on Mulder's cheek, drawing his attention away from Jack. "Let's try at the back. Maybe there's a door open? I don't care if we're braking in. This storm will freeze us. We need shelter."

Jack nodded. "She's right. I never knew you guys had storms like this."

"We don't." Mulder yelled back as he dragged Scully against him.

Sam shrugged at Jack and sprinted after Mulder and Scully to the back of the house, followed by Jack until they both reached yet another door.

Jack groaned and looked at the door, giving it a hard kick. The door gave way a little. A creaking sound was heard when the wind howled through the small vent in the door.

Sam raised an eyebrow at Jack and simultaneously they kicked against the door.

It opened miraculously, letting the wind blow them inside.

Spinning around, Mulder and Scully pushed the door shut while Jack and Sam stood there panting. "Wow. I can't believe we're inside. This place is huge to say the least." Scully said while looking around her. "I'm gonna nose around a bit. Sam care to join me?"

Sam looked warily at Jack but followed Scully over the large hallway.

"So, that leaves you and me. We'll go to the other side." Mulder announced while looking back if Jack was following.

Scully noticed that Jack was looking worriedly at Sam. He didn't seem to like the thought that he wasn't with her. She grinned. Parting them was part of her plan. A plan to get all the answers she wanted from Sam but Sam was surprisingly the one who brought the subject up when they were out of earshot from the men.

"So, how did you two end up with each other?" Sam risked a glance at Scully but quickly tried to look casual.

"Well, Mulder started working on the so called X-Files." Scully's eyes were skimming the large room.

Sam nodded. "The unexplained. Yeah, I heard."

"So, I was put up with him to debunk his work." Carefully, she bend over and looked under the long dining table, looking for clues while Sam investigated the huge wooden old grandpa clock.

"What happened?" Turning to face Scully, Sam crossed her arms and in the back of her mind wished that she was carrying a gun.

"Well, I guess I grew found of him and somehow they didn't shut us down." With a sigh, Scully emerged from underneath the table again and frowned.

Overseeing the whole room, Sam sighed and gave up on looking for any clues. "It's strange. You two remind me so much of Jack and I. You are a scientist just like me and Jack is just like Mulder. Yet, you two seem more…how can I say it…closer to each other than we are. How do you do that being so different yet so close?"

Searching the walls with her hands, Scully momentarily stopped and turned to Sam. "Hmm…I gather samples, take tests, do autopsies, try to reproduce results…and only then come to an conclusion but…Mulder is,yes, different. I have been his partner for six years now and if there's one thing I learned is that Mulder's world is a dangerous place. Sometimes I'm afraid of that place but I know he would always protect me."

"So would Jack. The only thing I'm afraid of are his manner's."

The women laughed at Sam's private joke.

A comfortable silence fell over them as Sam tried to find the words to ask her next question but she figured that it'd better to be straight forwarded.

"Dana, do you love Mulder?"

"Yes."

Sam was surprised by her fair answer and it probably showed on her face as Scully smiled and shrugged.

"And Mulder loves me."

Scully searched for a motive behind that question in Sam's eyes but they looked troubled. If not Scully'd say that Sam was sad over something. "Sam? Are you all right?"

Smiling sadly, Sam wondered if she could talk about her relationship with Scully, I'd be nice talking to someone outside of the Stargate Program. She knew better not to talk about the Mountain and the Stargate. "Yes, don't worry. This conversation started me thinking. That's all."

A nod. "Jack?"

Sam bit her lower lip and fiddled with a string on her sweater.

Scully walked around the table until she stood in front of Sam, and half settled herself on the table. "Okay just for the record…what is Jack to you? I mean in the military."

Like Scully, she placed herself on the table letting her legs sway under her. "He's my commanding officer. We're in the Air Force"

"You two are Air Force?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yep. There, now you know."

"Sam! That's your problem? Jesus, I thought he was gay or something like that."

Sam had to stifle a laugh but groaned. "Dana, I'm not joking. I just can't!"

"Err…Sam. I have a relationship with Mulder that already goes beyond FBI-regulations. Mulder is more worth than my job. Sam, I see how Jack looks at you and I see how Mulder looks at me…it's the same. He loves you. Let your heart speak. I know it may not be the easiest way but it's the best way."

For a moment Sam just stared at Scully, than jumped off the table and brushed a hand to her forehead. "I'll keep it in mind. We…err…should better be going back now. Don't want to worry them, you know." Sam felt uneasy knowing that a complete stranger could see their relationship. She wondered if it was that clear. She wondered if General Hammond had come to the same conclusion as Scully.

~ Part 6 ~

"We found about three things; a note, a knife and a picture. You found anything?" Jack asked giving the picture to Sam.

It looked like a normal dog but it had no fur. And it was somehow slimy, for lack of a better word.

"Nothing that was out of the ordinary. You mentioned a note, what does it say?" What Scully didn't mention was their informative conversation about Sam and the man standing in front of her whom was unfolding a piece of paper.

"See how strong you are and beat the king, see how smart you are and solve the riddles, see how fast you can run and reveal my dark secret. Ps, keep everything that is dearest to you, very close…Cheetah."

Mulder groaned while reading with Jack. "I think we should look for blood on carpets or something like that." He opted.

"What?" Sam's eyes shot up and she felt a gleam of paranoia wash over her as she looked over her shoulder at the door they came in from. It was still closed.

"Don't you think it's strange for such a big mansion to have no people at all living here? I mean they should've heard us by now."

Jack folded the paper again and put it away in his pocket together with the picture he took from Sam's hands. "I'm afraid you're right Mulder. This place is a tomb."

Mulder walked over to one of the doors and placed his hand on the metal handle but he stopped. Like he was debating whether or not to open it. He didn't and turned to look at the rest of the group. "What about Scully and I check whatever's behind this door and you check what is above these stairs. We'll meet back up here in an hour. Okay?"

Jack noted that Mulder wasn't really commanding them around. He did ask their opinion…sort of. Scully seemed to agree with her partner, she did pull her gun from the holster and handed it to Carter.

"Here take this. Just in case."

Sam thankfully smiled. "Thanks, but don't worry I'm not afraid of what they will do, I'm more afraid of what we will find."

Scully nodded, sharing her fear and walked over to her waiting partner.

"Later 'gaters."

With that, the duo disappeared behind the door and Sam held her breath half-expecting them to come back running out the door or to hear a scream but nothing happened.

"Did he just say 'Gaters'?"

Sam snickered. Typical. "Later alligator? Rings a bell?"

"Oh, let's go." With one raised eyebrow he walked up the stairs taking two steps at the time.

Sam shook her head and followed his tempo. Paranoia or not, she couldn't help but look back at the hall they were going to leave behind. Better safe than sorry, she thought as she gripped the gun more tightly, feeling the cold trigger against her finger.

At the top of the stairs, they both turned to go to the door in front of them but the door was locked.

The lock was simple, Sam thought. She could open it with a couple of paperclips. Sometimes it paid to be the daughter of a professional lock picking Air Force officer. She lock picked it and Jack smiled at her showing his approval.

It was another dining room. They entered the room, eyes shifting nervously from side to side. Jack listened to the endless ticking of the large grandfather clock. Sam was searching the table, looking for something.

"What are you trying to find, Carter?"

"I don' t know. A weapon, a clue-hello, what's this?"

Jack walked over and examined the tablecloth. There was a large bloodstain on it.

Sam looked from the blood to Jack and without a word, continued to the next door.

The next hallway was corner shaped and had windows along the wall. She looked out the windows and saw how dark it was getting. Soon the only noise she could hear was the rapid beating of her own heart.

Jack walked through the hallway, thinking of how much money it would've cost to build the house. The hall itself was covered in expensive things, like a huge chrystal lamp that Jack probably needed to sell half his house to get the money to buy it. Rugs that were probably worth their weight in gold, and other unbelievable things.

Jack heard an alarming sound coming from his second in command and he sprinted to her. She'd kneeled down to the floor and was checking out a dog's neck and stomach for a sign of life. Dead.

"What happened here?" she said while looking at the corps.

Jack sighed. "I don't know, Carter. That's why we're here for."

Jack wanted to move on but Sam kept very silent. Something was wrong. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Carter?"

She closed her eyes and tried to draw comfort from his hand. "My mind is telling me to get the hell out of here but my gut instinct is telling me to stay and find out."

Jack suppressed a sigh and retreated his hand to put it in the pocket of his pants. He turned his back to Carter and stood in front of a window looking outside. A huge red beacon was going of in his head but he couldn't read the sign on it. What was it? He sighed, hating himself for not finding it. "Sometimes following your gut instinct is the best…although not always easy."

The moment he said it, he flinched inwardly. Many weeks now, his gut instinct had told him to tell Carter that he loved her but his mind always kept screaming to take control and to forget about her but that was more easily said than done.

You can't instruct a fish to stay away from the surface. Well, that's how it felt with him. If Sam would no longer be with him then his life would seem very empty. You can't take a men's dearest thing away-.

Suddenly the sign on the beacon in his head became clear.

"Oh, God." He sharply swirled around to look at Carter.

"What? What's wrong?" She jumped to her feet and nervously looked around in the hallway, ending her gaze on him again.

"Remember that note? That Cheetah would take the most dearest away?"

"Huh? Yeah, I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Carter, don't you see? That Nemesis in Mulder's story, he takes away a men's Valentine."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with us or Mulder and Scully? None of us are couples looking for a wild adventure in the forest."

"Oh, Sam. Don't be blind. Couple or not. What's the most dearest to Mulder? What's the most dearest to me?"

He was looking so vulnerable at her, that Sam couldn't help but swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. "Oh. Well…it's still hypothetically speaking…right? I mean the Nemesis is just a story, right?"

"I'm afraid not…hook line and sinker."

"Huh? You're talking in riddles, Sir."

"Exactly. Riddles. See how smart you are and solve my riddles. That old drunk man, he has us exactly where he wants us."

Close by they could hear the sound of a tower clock, ringing loudly, announcing eleven hours in the evening.

Sam's eyes widened as she looked at Jack.

"And he took the girls to the clock tower…where he lives…."

"Oh, God. Let's find Mulder and Scully."

They ran to the entry hall, and Jack suddenly felt like someone was playing a practical joke on him that just wasn't funny.

~ Part 7 ~

"Oh for cryin' out loud. I can't believe this!"

"What's wrong?"

"The front doors are locked…we're trapped."

Jack kept kicking against the door but gave up.

Scully walked over to a door they hadn't gone through yet. "Let's just find a place where we can rest, maybe find some clues on how to get out of here. The storm's still ruling and it's too dark to even walk around outside."

"But what about this Cheetah?"

After Jack had explained the lot to Mulder and Scully, all had franticly tried to get out but without succeeding. They were trapped inside the mansion whether they liked it or not. Sam agreed with Scully. It would be better to get some rest. "We'll barricade the door and we have our guns."

They all nodded and entered the door leading into a completely dark room.

Being Scully of course, she switched her flashlight on and swung the beam ahead of her.

Scully screamed when her flashlight showed her a monster with bright white fangs.

Only a second after that the lights of the room were turned on. Mulder was looking bewildered at Jack who stood innocently with his finger still at the light switch.

Sam came to stand next to Scully to see what she was looking at.

It was a painting of about two by two meter with a black wooden board around it. The picture showed a monster. Something that looked like a gorilla but with no skin.

"Oh my God."

Jack walked over to stand next to Sam. "Talk about weird taste in art."

"Hey, something's written beneath it."

Scully squeezed her eyes and bent forward to look at the scribbling letters.

"I can't read it. I think it's in Latin or a very ancient language."

"It's Latin." Jack announced and shrugged when Sam looked at him with wide eyes.

"What does it say?"

"I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this …blah blah…your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies and through you offspring all nations on earth will be blessed…blah blah. Can't understand all of it but I know the words. It's from Genesis."

Typical Jack. The modest guy.

Turning her back to the picture, Sam started nosing in the room. Few glorious moments later she had found two small books and two notes.

The other three were now looking impatiently at her, hinting for her to read books out loud.

Sam turned over the page in the diary and started to read, shock written all over her face. "Today, a high ranking researcher entered the mansion. He asked me to take care of Hunter MA-101. He and the boss told me to feed it live food. When I threw in a pig, they were playing with it…tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before they actually ate it."

Scully swallowed hard and turned to look at the painting again. "Do you think that was the creature that attacked that man in the forest?"

Jack nodded. "Pretty sure about it. Here's a question for you. Where the Hell is that creature? For all we know it's in this house. Hunting us like its name says."

"There's more." She said while taking a seat on the couch opposite the painting. Jack stood next to her while Mulder took place on the desk in front of the painting. Scully took the place next to Scully but she couldn't take her eyes off the painting.

"I heard there was an accident in the basement lab but I wasn't allowed to enter. Those two new scientists were running all over the basement. Only the boss seemed to be calm. When I talked to him this morning he was actually wearing this grin on his face. I didn't care. My back was hurting and my skin was itching. I went into the backyard, doing my every day boring job; feeding those bloody dogs. They meant more to the boss then his own people-"

"Who is this boss he keeps talking about?"

Sam shrugged and continued reading. "'They have been quiet since morning, which is unusual. I found that some of them escaped. I'll be in real trouble if the boss finds out.' Than there are some papers ripped out beginning with this. 'It's my first day off and I wanted to go to my wife but I was stopped by the guard on the way out. He said the company has ordered that no one leave the grounds. I can't even make a phone call. What kind of joke is this?'"

Jack closed his eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"I heard a researcher who tried to escape from this mansion was shot last night. I don't know what to do but I know that I'm feeling sick. A fever is building and my skin itches again."

"It stops after this last entry."

"What else did you find?"

"A letter from someone."

"Read it."

"My dear Mandy,

Last month, there was an accident in the lab and our subject 'Hunter' escaped. He carried the new virus with him. All my colleagues working in the lab that night died. Some of them are still barely alive. Those are the ones he didn't wanted to eat maybe those were the ones that fed him. He's smarter than we thought he would be, Mandy. When I saw him on the cameras, I could see a sign of intelligence in his eyes. I created him to be without joy, sorrow, love or fear.

I don't know when you return that I'll be still alive. I'm hiding now in the basement number 3 of the mansion.

Yesterday, I thought that I heard Hunter's nails ticking on the floor in front of the door. He knows I'm in here, he can smell me but I'm not afraid.

He will never kill me. I'm his creator.

Good-bye and 'till soon, Cheetah."

"I take it that Cheetah is the boss that young man was talking about. Okay, so now we know whom we can find here. Or who we need to have a serious talk with."

"Do keep in mind, Jack, that at least some of the researchers survived the attack of the Hunter. They could still be wondering around here. Or maybe Cheetah continued with his research."

Sam leaned back against into the soft couch and crossed her legs. A little paper fell out of the diary.

They all looked at her, waiting for her to read it.

Sam carefully picked it up from her lap and read the large red letters. "The note says 'I had to kill my own dearest creation. I never expected him to turn against me. So, he wasn't that intelligent after all' So, we don't have to worry about that creature now."

Jack started pacing the room. "Hunter was more intelligent than he thought. Kill your creator who messed you up."

Mulder sat next to Scully, rubbing his face while frowning.

"Mulder, I'm scared."

Mulder reached over and took Scully's hand in his while the other arm went behind her waist and pulled her closer to him. Scully placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Sam watched them and inwardly felt jealous. She lifted her gaze to look up at Jack who was watching them too.

He had a mock expression on his face. "You DO know that you're breaking the rules."

"So what?" Mulder and Scully both simultaneously answered. Scully opened her eyes and smiled up at Mulder.

"No one should have rules standing in their way."

She looked meaningfully up at Jack and bored her gaze into his.

Jack knew exactly what the younger woman meant and what she said was right. No rules should keep two people apart and he had been a fool to believe that.

To Sam's delight, Jack walked towards her and placed himself next to her. They were sitting so close that he could feel her body heat.

He laid his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes. He listened to Sam's breathing as he could feel her eyes on him. Without hesitation he blindly reached over bumped against her arm, searched for her hand and took it in his. He knew without looking that she had a frown on her face.

He gave her hand a little squeeze, she responded immediately while a gently squeeze of her own.

"We have to move on. We have to find that Cheetah."

Scully agreed with Jack. They should move on. The less she was stuck here the better. She followed the two military's, whom walked over to the next door, with her eyes but couldn't help but smile at Mulder.

They both witnessed Jack breaking his own precious rules. Although she didn't know if handholding was against it but she bet that the meaning behind it was.

With a groan Mulder pushed himself off the couch and with Scully following him closely, he went to Mister Sarcasm and Sam.

They entered the other door in the room that led them away from the main house.

It became colder, they shivered and they could all see two doors at the end of the hallway. One of the doors had a picture next to it.

"Hazard team, left to right. Barry, Lenny, Karen, Tyra, John, Cheetah, Speedy and Mouse. So, there organization is called Hazard. How original." Mulder rolled his eyes and looked over at the other picture.

On the right side it said 'Basement Level B'.

Jack was in command mode. "Let's just assume that the basement is behind these doors. Look for clues. Any tracks, shell casings, or, God forbid, bodies, we'll meet up again here in the main hallway."

"Jack. I work for the FBI, I KNOW how to investigate a place."

Sam bit her lip. She really liked Mulder; she began to know what Scully saw in him.

"Right," Jack mumbled and reached for the doorknob.

But when he wanted to open the door it didn't budge. So, Sam tried the other door and she raised her eyebrows while Scully came to stand beside her and groaned. The door wouldn't open.

Jack sighed. There has to be something here to open these doors. He leaned back against the wall and let his gaze travel over the opposite wall, then the floor with its lush carpetting, ending at the tip of his shoes. He then suddenly saw something in the wall by his knees. "Hello, what's that?" He murmured more to himself, knowing the others couldn't hear him.

Without warning Scully yelped when the doors slid open and looked over at Sam who was frowning.

How the hell? She turned around to look at the Colonel. Of course. She saw Jack standing with his foot against a button in the wall, looking innocently, raising his eyebrows at her. Secretely enjoying himself, she knew.

Scully shook her head and grinned. He made a very good expression of a ten-year old.

"Wow, an elevator." Mulder stepped backed, took one of his shoes off and threw it in. Nothing happened…for the moment.

He carefully stepped inside and jumped, arms ready to hang to something. Still nothing happened. It was just a damn elevator.

Seeing that the coast was clear, the rest followed Mulder and they all pressed against each other to fit in the small elevator.

Mulder squeezed against Scully and reached out to press the only button on the panel. "I wonder if we aren't going to walk in a trap. For all we know they could be just waiting for us."

"Who knows, maybe they're playing bingo."

The three of them just looked at Jack. He shrugged and turned around with his back to them, facing a mirror in the elevator wall. He observed Sam; she had a worried look on her face. Like she knew there was something horrible to happen.

Maybe he expected it to. Damn he missed his guns.

~ Part 8 ~

"Carter!," Jack breathed heavily. "Sam!" He coughed, his lungues protesting to the running he'd just done.

They had reached the basement and after some close investigation found that there were two doors each leading to two very long, dark and damp corridors.

The four of them agreed to split into two teams each taking a corridor but he had no idea what was about to happen.

"Mulder! Scully!"

Damn it! He lost Sam.

All the way down to the second level he had cursed and blamed himself. Kicking against the wall didn't help, screaming her name didn't help either. Now, he was wandering in those long hallways, without a gun, without a cell phone and scared shitless that something was terribly wrong with his second in command.

He stopped and leaned against the wall, slipping until he hit the ground. He let his head hang and tried to listen to sounds. Any sound would be good. But it was dead quiet. Jack's knee hurt.

He closed his eyes and the horrible flashbacks returned. Sam's eyes widened in horror as two arms had grabbed her and had pulled her with them. Jack had jumped after her but the only thing he'd hit was a closed door. How many times he kicked it, yelled at it, he didn't knew but it didn't help.

Jack shook his head trying to get the sight of her desperate eyes out of his head, she didn't even had the chance to scream. It all went so quickly.

Feeling a sudden rage building up inside him, he opened his eyes and saw his reflection in a window. He saw his own eyes glaring back at him. Dark and full of hate. He pushed himself up and took a deep breath, running up to the next and final door he hadn't opened.

Not caring about doors having handles, he just kicked it in and saw Sam and a man standing in front of a metal elevator. The man was Cheetah, he just knew.

"I see you came all the way here. Surprisingly well done. But I am indestructible." The man had his hand over Sam's mouth and a gun pressed against her throat.

Jack glared at the man, giving him an eat-shit-and-die-look. "Sure, some other I know said that there is no subtlety to destruction. You know what? They're dead." He kept glaring at the man, knowing that looking into Sam's eyes would betray his real emotions; fear.

Cheetah pressed with his elbow against a button and the doors of the elevator slid open. "The less you have, the harder you fight for it." He slowly stepped back, pulling Sam with him.

Jack wasn't going to let him get away with it. Not when he was this close.

"Cut the crap."

Cheetah laughed. It reminded Jack of one of those laughs of a horrible B-movie vampire.

"Crap, huh. How hard will you fight for the most important thing in your life?" He had now replaced his hand from Sam's mouth to her belly, pressing her against him.

"I'm sorry, Sir."

It was the first time Jack looked at her. Really looked at her. Her eyes were wide and tears seemed to well up. Tears of anger but also of despair.

"Don't feel sorry." This wasn't the moment to act all military. They had been in more dangerous situations but not that direct. Sam had a gun against her neck, reading to blow her head off if she struggled. Jack didn't have anything to defend himself with or to fight Cheetah except his hands. He would do it if he had to but the rule was that the man carrying the gun had the power.

"Oh, ain't that sweet? Do you love her O'Neill?"

Jack swallowed hard. His gaze nervously switching from Sam to Cheetah and back. He had to buy time, Scully and Mulder had to be near. Surely they'd hear them. "Why do ya wanne know?" He couldn't hide the anger in his voice. The anger, the hate and the pain he felt in his heart. Reaching boiling point, the burning feeling in his stomach. It made his blood rush through his vains and his hands itching to beat the living daylights out of Cheetah.

"Tsk, Jack. To hide the truth is more than folly – it's fatal…for her."

With that, he stepped back with Sam and the doors closed in front of them. Cheetah smiled and kissed Sam's neck, knowing he was enraging Jack with it and loving every moment.

Jack ran towards the doors and kicked them. "No! You son of a bitch!"

"Jack!!"

Sam. Again. He'd lost her again but then he heard a sudden thud and a yelp. Then everything went quiet. What had happened?

~ Part 9 ~

Sam was more frightened than she had ever been in her life. She had jumped out the elevator doors and had run towards the first door she encountered. Cheetah was a fool to believe he could touch her like that. She wanted to kick him earlier but that would've endangered Jack's life. She couldn't afford the risk.

Now she mentally wanted to kick herself around the room for not getting Cheetah unconscious. She had merely kicked him…good and had run out when the elevator doors had opened.

If Cheetah would find her in here, she would attack him with the only weapon she had; a can of bug spray. She'd found it in the storage room where she was hiding.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and she saw a figure. Without hesitation she sprayed the insect repellant in its face.

"Ah!" It yelled, stumbling back.

It wasn't Cheetah, she'd recognized him.

"Sir! Oh, no." She reached out, grabbing his upper arm.

"What was that stuff?" He asked, blinking rapidly.

"Uh, bug repellant. The label's been ripped off, and it's half full. Look I'm really sorry, I thought it was Che-"

"Don't worry about it." Jack said, widening his eyes and closing them again. Trying to get the spray from his eyelashes. "Not a bad weapon, actually."

Sam let go of his arm just stood there, not knowing what to say. Their last encounter had made a deep impression on her. Still seeing the emotions enravel on her commander's face.

For an unknown reason, Jack shook his head and placed a hand on her upper arm. "I knew you'd kick his ass."

He grinned and let his hands slip off her arm and he sighed. Taking two steps back, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and placed a hand on the back of his neck, stretching it.

Sam frowned. "Sir?" There was something bothering him. Although she knew he'd probably just shrug and move on, she just felt she had to ask.

Sir. Their first name basis was gone. Comfort level gone. He nodded more to himself than to her. "I was afraid that this moment would come."

Not understanding what he meant, Sam wrapped her arms around herself and questionably looked at him.

For the first time after he got her back, he gazed into her eyes and swallowed. "The moment in battle when you'd become my weak spot. I would make mistakes because of it."

Sam didn't know what to say. "I-I'm sorry. I guess that's why they invented regulations." She pressed her lips together trying to hold her composure, not wanting to let Jack know this was tearing her apart. This was the moment, he would tell her that it'd be better to transfer her to another team.

She stepped back away from him until she was leaning against the wall. As she looked up at Jack she saw him staring at her. "Sir?"

Jack frowned. "Sam. Why do you call me Sir at this very moment?"

She couldn't answer that one. Not to him. She had done it to put a distance between them. To help her remind that she served under his command.

Jack sighed and smiled at her, the reason behind it unknown to Sam. He suddenly frowned and walked over to her, facing her.

He was standing so close, she could feel his body-heat. She would never survive it if she had to leave SG-1…but mostly because she had to leave Jack behind. She had tried to ignore her feelings, she couldn't. At this moment the stress, fatigue and fear made her body tremble. She felt tears welling up and a lump formed in her throat. No, she would not cry in front of Jack.

Jack noticed how hard Sam was fighting her feelings. For a moment he saw a doctor Samantha Carter asking him to hold her, to comfort her. He swallowed and he placed his hands on her hips, looking down to his thumbs that caressed her hips.

It even surprised himself how he suddenly felt the urge to put his hands on her hips. This had nothing to do with lust. This had to do with his and her feelings. Feelings they both had and were desperate in fighting against. Jack knew one of them had to snap. At this moment he wasn't sure whom was.

Sam's body froze. This was not Colonel and Major…hell this wasn't even Sam and Jack. What had gotten into Jack? Somewhere in the back of her head she hoped that Cheetah couldn't shape shift. Though she couldn't risk the chance of kicking Jack.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head, taking comfort of those two thumbs stroking her tummy. All kinds of emotions started to surface. They've been through so much.

"Don't feel sorry, Sam. You give me strength and keep me from making mistakes. I was afraid that one day I would make a mistake because of the way I keep fighting against – this but today made something clear to me."

Sam heard that he was struggling to find those last words. She waited for them with closed eyes. Not daring to look at him.

"What if there is this chance we'll never get out? What if one of us gets killed? I know I'm being mister negative here but…what if I never get the chance to say…."

Sam felt the urge to cry coming up. This was his heart talking. This was his heart being desperate for her. They had promised to keep it in the room but he was right…what if?

Sam opened her eyes and looked at the tormented man in front of her. His face mere inches away from hers. His hands still on her hips but his thumbs had long stopped.

She couldn't give into her feelings. She couldn't give herself to Jack no matter how much she loved him. It would only get them in trouble. Her heart screamed, her soul tried to reach out and her hormones went nuts. But she couldn't.

Looking into his eyes, she realized how much she loved him. He would rather die than leave her behind. Would that mean he would be so lost without her? She didn't want to know what he'd do if she'd died. If she was honest to herself, she didn't know what she would do without Jack.

Jack closed his eyes and placed his hands back in his pockets.

Sam thought he'd say something but he didn't. He never did finish his sentence. She wasn't exactly encouraging him either.

Her mind started to get blank. Dizziness taking over because of all the emotions. She reached next to her on a table to keep her from fainting. Her hand bumped into a little radio and with a soft creaking it came to life and a soft song filled the room.

Jack opened his eyes and looked at the radio.

This wasn't real, Sam thought. A murderer was wondering outside, they were stuck and maybe they could die. They've lost Mulder and Scully and she had hurt Jack. Another fine day in Sam Carter's life. She wanted to shut off the radio but Jack grabbed her hand to stop her.

Her eyes flew up to his but his hand stayed on hers, she listened to the music. It seemed important to Jack.

And we've waited for so long

_For this moment to come_

_We're so anxious to be together_

_Together…in death._

_Would you die tonight for me?_

_Baby join me in death_

_Would you die?_

_Baby join me in death._

He released her hand with such a force, Sam had to keep it from hitting the radio. Jack shut it off and stepped away from her with his back against her.

"Jack…I can't."

He slowly turned around and just stared at her, a small nod but his eyes didn't lie. He was devastated she'd turned him down. She did love him but she couldn't tell him. What if they did get out alive? What would happen after that?

All emotions came together and burst out in a waterfall of tears that traveled over her cheeks and tasted salty on her dried mouth. She reached behind her and sat on the table because she knew her legs wouldn't keep her up.

Jack walked over to her but seemed to hesitate what to do with her.

God, I'm such a child, Sam thought. Jack a grown hard military man doesn't know what to do with me.

She let her shoulder and head hang and opened her legs to find support by placing her hands between them.

Soft footsteps came closer and she saw Jack's feet coming into sight.

Jack moved until her hair touched his chest. He just left the decision to her. He knew she was fighting. Fighting with feelings she didn't know how to handle. He knew because he was the same.

Her lungs were hurting, and the sobs and the sharp intakes of breath made her chest and throat hurt. It wasn't worth the pain.

"I want to but I can't. I just can't." Sam didn't know if Jack understood one word she said, she didn't even understand herself. She needed comfort, she needed to feel safe, and she needed someone to hold her, to love her. It had been five years and no one had really showed her love, affection and why? Because she didn't want it? Because of her job? Because she was waiting for Jack?

She placed her head against Jack's chest and felt the soft fabric of his shirt against her tear stained cheek and without hessitation Jack's arms went around her.

Just holding her, comforting her, showing his love and affection. It had been awhile, for as long as she could remember but she felt safe now. Jack stepped closer, pressing his body against hers and he felt Sam arms embracing him, holding onto him like dear life as a hand sneaked under his shirt and rested on the scar on his lower back.

She and Janet were the only ones who knew about it. Sam had once been attacked at her home by a bugglar bu her attacker hadn't suspected to find another man in the house. Jack battled with him, he prevailed but during the fight he had gotten a knife in his back. Sam had called Janet, she had taken care of the wound. It had just missed his spinal column. If it had, he had been a cripple…but he would've done that for Sam and she knew.

The scar ached under her touch. It felt like some kind of itching but it felt good.

Sam's sobs had subsided and her tears had dried but she just wanted to feel Jack against her. Just this one moment. Just these few minutes before they would pretend nothing had happened.

Jack pushed her away softly and cupped her face in his hands. He shivered when her hand left his scar, brushing it softly. He swallowed lost for words. They should leave and find Mulder and Scully. God knows they were having one of their own romantic moments. Jack hoped so. Those two were made for each other.

"The scar hasn't healed." It was a rather stupid statement but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Jack smiled sadly. "Most scars never do. Just like yours."

Sam frowned at him.

He slid his hands of her cheeks and placed one just above her breast, careful not to go too far. "Here. Let it heal, Sam." He could feel her heart thudding faster until it matched his.

She had only seen Jack like this on very rare occasions, unique to say the least. She took every moment in and restored it deep into her memory like it was the most important thing in her life. Maybe it was.

She opened her mouth to ask him to help her heal but he quickly put a finger on her mouth and his head sharply turned to the door.

Sam tensed, listening.

"I thought I heard someone talking…" he said finally.

The door swung open revealing Mulder and Scully.

They only nodded to each other but Sam noted the tired look on Mulder's face and the light in Scully's eyes. Something had happened between those two. Suddenly, she came aware of their rather intimate position. Jack standing close to her between her legs. Oh, yeah. There went their moment.

"Sam, are you all right?" Scully worriedly asked, noting her tear stained face.

Sam smiled and nodded her head. "Just trying to heal a scar."

Scully nodded and Mulder turned around to the door again.

She hadn't lied. Jack was healing her scar and it was a nice cover up for their position. Jack stepped back but not out of reach, he smiled at her.

She used his arm to get off the table and walked over to Scully. "Have you seen anything?"

Mulder snorted. "Except for doors, more doors and did I mention doors? Nothing, totally useless rooms. Until we found a door that someone had a go at and then an elevator."

Jack's eyes widened. "You didn't see a man in the elevator?"

"No. You're the first people we saw here."

"Shit." Jack groaned and went over the door, threw it open and sighed.

Scully followed him and crossed her arms. "What the hell happened with you guys?"

Sam came into the corridor with Mulder in her lead. "Cheetah attacked me. He took me hostage, put a gun against my throat and then I showed him not to mess with a military woman."

Mulder raised an eyebrow at Jack. "You seen him too?"

Jack only nodded. The heat welling up inside his body again.

~ Part 10 ~

Mulder walked over to the pool table that Sam had found around the corner, and looked at the pool balls on the table.

"Looks like a game room probably to amuse the researchers when they are stuck down here." Scully noted tracing a line with her finger on the soft green tablecloth.

"Aces. Maybe we can play pool till those Hazard guys get so bored they'll run away." Jack said.

Sam laughed, and he grinned.

The four of them walked back into the small tunnel and tried another door.

There was a lift leading up, and Sam felt a burst of pride. If this were the exit, they would be out of the terrible tunnels.

Jack hit the switch to bring it down.

Sam then realized something. If the elevator had gone up, then she would be on the trail of Cheetah.

-The self-destruct system has been activated. Repeat, the self-destruct system has been activated. This sequence may not be aborted. Five minutes until detonation- The calm voice informed her.

"Dammit! Cheetah!" They ran to the elevator and sent it up.

-You now have four minutes, thirty seconds until detonation- The voice said.

The elevator got to the top floor, and they ran out of the door.

They ran to the stairs leading up. Up was good, Sam thought.

They saw the night sky with dark clouds and tops of trees coming into view.

"Jack!" Sam yelled seeing Cheetah standing in the middle of what seemed to be a Heliport, his gaze unfocused.

-You now have two minutes until detonation- The voice said.

All of a sudden, Cheetah made a run for Sam.

Mulder raised his gun and fired two round into Cheetah's leg, all of them finding their mark. And Cheetah didn't even slow down. What the-?

Scully turned and made a run from the Heliport which was surrounded by heavy metal wired fences, and quickly found the metal door leading to the forest and to their freedom.

Mulder shot another three rounds in Cheetah's body and blood gushed down, but he was oblivious to it.

Sam raised her head as she was pinned to the ground. Cheetah coming towards her. "Oh my God. He used the virus on himself."

-You now have one minute until detonation. Evacuate immediately-

Mulder walked over to a box and found some explosions which he threw at Jack given that he knew the man had more experience.

Cheetah was still chasing Sam. She ran towards Jack.

"Clear!"

Knowing what it meant, she rolled to the side, just as Jack threw the hand grenade to Cheetah.

"HEY!" Scully yelled as she stood on the other side of the metal door.

Sam, Jack and Mulder ran for their lives knowing that the grenade would go off in ten seconds.

Cheetah just stood there with the grenade in his hand.

When they had reached the door, Sam looked back and she saw no sign of intelligence in man's eyes. The virus had made him emotionless and almost brain-dead.

Wolves started howling somewhere in the forest while the four of them ran through it seeing an open field. Their lungs felt like exploding and they were panting heavily but they kept going. Needed to keep running. As far away as they could.

They couldn't hear the ticking of the grenade but the explosion they heard.

"Yeah!" Jack yelled.

-You now have ten seconds until detonation-

They could hear the voice coming from the sound speakers that were also placed deep in the forest.

-You now have five seconds. Three. Two. One. System activation now-

They all stopped and turned to the mansion when they knew they were at a safe distance.

All Jack could hear was pure silence. No one spoke, no birds. Nothing.

A split second later, the enormous explosion shook the ground.

Sam saw how the roof of the entire mansion fell in the house while it caught fire. She let herself fall to the ground, feeling the distant heat of the enormous mansion burning.

Jack walked over and sat down next to Sam. "What a day eh?"

"I want a raise." Mulder muttered.

They all laughed, feeling much better.

Scully leaned against Mulder whom hugged Scully go him. "Glad we made it out alive again."

"Yes, again would the word. Can't imagine dying because of a scary mansion."

"Didn't we do that before?"

Scully turned to look up at him to eye him but Mulder captured her lips.

To Sam it seemed that they were used to do it. They were no strangers in each other's arms.

Sam smiled up at Jack. She had to tell him before she lost her nerve, Mulder and Scully were too wrapped up in their own world.

"Jack?"

Jack closed his eyes momentarily and opened them to look intensely at Sam. "Is this the moment you throw the regulations in my face and just forget what happened?"

Sam felt like he had slept her in the face but she couldn't blame him.

She looked up at him, but she couldn't find the words. She blinked a few times and looked away from him.

After watching Mulder and Scully exchange some more lip locking she then pressed her knees against her chest and rested her chin on them.

"No, Jack. I'll never forget. I haven't forgotten anything."

Jack looked at her beside him. "What is going on inside your head, Sam?"

"Two years ago you said that you would rather die than lose me. I haven't forgotten that. But would you really do it?"

"What? Commit suicide?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. I've been to that dark place enough in my life to know what it feels like. I also know how it feels to lose someone that you really love. I went to hell and back and I stayed a little bit too long in that hell. I don't know what I would do if you would be…gone."

It was an honest answer. It was time she was honest with him. "You're right, I need to heal. I need someone who can make me feel safe, who is strong enough to heal me and Jack-," she reached over and took his hand in hers, "-you're the only one who can."

He slowly turned towards her and gently kissed her forehead, squeezed her hand and turned to watch the burning house.

Sam moved to sit behind Jack and wrapped her arms from behind around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder, legs lining next to his.

Then both smirked when they heard Scully giggle. "I don't think Skinner'll like to hear that, Mulder."

THE END thank you for reading


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